48 Themes  Neji x Tenten
by vieiraa3
Summary: Just as the title says! Neji x Tenten


Disclaimer: I own jack-diddly of Naruto. – Sobs –

**48 Themed Ficlets – Neji x Tenten**

001. Shattering

Tenten had always felt strangely pleased knowing that she was solely responsible for the Hyuuga prodigy's first serious injury while training; a shattered arm bone due to a mace which resulted in the first proud smile Neji had directed towards his teammate – although it was with half-closed, anesthetic-filled eyes.

002. Mediator

"It's always refreshing to have at least one girl in the group," Tenten remembered Kakashi-sensei's words as she once again served as a mediator between her two taijustsu-using teammates; balancing the clash of hot and cold energy for the umpteenth time.

003. Teamwork

As a whole, Team Gai had always had teamwork as one of their major strengths—and as individual shinobi, the members of Team Gai always had their own strong partnerships.

004. Hatred

Neji possessed a certain type of hatred for cages and traps, but – as he would learn through the years – Tenten possessed a certain knack for breaking through cages and traps.

005. Gather

Gathering the bento boxes she had prepared, Tenten rushed out of her home and raced towards the training area, explaining to her slightly annoyed teammate that she didn't want to have to go home for lunch – she silently smiled, knowing that he didn't want to either.

006. Straighten

As their sparring session came to a close, Neji subconsciously straightened his back; attempting to keep himself grounded as she gazed up at him with an intense, trusting look of awe.

007. Thanks

"Thanksgiving?" Tenten asked in confusion as the young Grass villager nodded at her vigorously, explaining that it was a day when you gave thanks to what you have and cherish with the people you love. The young kunoichi couldn't help the involuntary glance over her shoulder to her team, her brown eyes meeting soft lavender.

008. Thwarted

With a few quick movements and expelling of chakra, Neji let out a soft sigh of relief, having thwarted the death of the distracted Weapons Mistress for at least another minute of glory before the next fight.

009. Headstrong

She had always been a little different, Gai noted this as he examined the interaction between his two students; any lesser young woman would have given up, but this was one wild, stubborn, and headstrong little flower that the icy prodigy would never fully get rid of.

010. Nightmares

The first time she cried during a mission was the first time she'd had that horrible nightmare; the one where the beautiful little caged bird was suffocated from its own sad song.

011. Thread

Maito Gai smiled ruefully at his two students, watching the thin red thread between them dance and twist with their movements as they sparred together – he quietly relished his vision knowing that the white eyed boy, even with the Byakugan activated, was still unable to see this thread while he, a hot-blooded shinobi, could see it as clearly as he could see the free flying birds above his head.

012. Wisdom

"Ah, you have the sun card. That's a good card for love and the future." The shinobi snorted at the kunoichi's reading and she slapped him lightly on the arm, "You shouldn't scoff at the wisdom of the cards, Neji." He snorted again but silently wondered if she wasn't just trying to cheer him up.

013. Threats

Tenten pretended not to hear the quiet threats her teammates made to the staring young males in the villages their team passed as they made their way to their destination, but she couldn't suppress the small smile at the slightly more possessive tone in one of her teammates' baritone voice.

014. Earth

Her mind was down to earth, her eyes and hair the colour or the richest soil, her place was on this earth, but her voice and her presence allowed him to be graced with the serenity of the Heavens themselves.

015. Sight

Neji never bothered to look at her eyes with his Byakugan activated; her eyes already allowed him to see deep within her – with or without his gifted sight.

016. Thin

He was thin – far too thin –, and his hair was limp and greasy – far too limp and greasy –, and his lips were dry – far too dry –, but his eyes shone with determination as he looked at her and when she left his hospital room, she left without a wrinkle of worry and a small smile of confidence.

017. Hints

Lee had always noticed the tiny hints that his two teammates laid down for each other, yet they never seemed to notice it themselves.

018. Shot

Tenten always secretly liked it when Neji was unable to avoid one of her poisoned senbon during training; it allowed her to give a topless Neji a shot of her most frequently used antidote.

019. Ghost

She'd never forget the day when the ghost of a true smile graced his lips, just for her.

020. Toward Some Night

Lee knew, just as his sensei knew, when he saw Neji and Tenten head towards the entrance of Konoha for a mission they had together, just the two of them, that they were also heading towards some night – whether on the way to their mission or on the way back – that would change all of their relationships with each other forever. He didn't mind, though. Not at all.

021. Know

As she stood at the gates, staring out into the forest, she didn't shed a tear because she knew he'd be back – she just knew.

022. Who?  
The Hyuuga prodigy's face never moved – not even a twitch – but his eyes twinkled happily and all his uncle had to ask was, "Who?"

023. How?  
When her back hit the top of the sand kunoichi's fan Neji didn't twitch a single muscle, but his mind was on overdrive wondering _how?_; how had her determination and relentless training not brought her victory – and how was he unable to believe that her destiny was that of a Loser?

024. Knight  
"Gai-kun is there not any other word you can use to describe your kunoichi student other than 'flower'?" Gai looked at his rival, then back at his two sparring students before nodding his head and replying, "A knight. A knight that'll save a damsel in distress." He ignored the slightly perplexed look of the former ANBU member and grinned at said damsel – earning a questioning glance from light lavender eyes in response.

025. Knots

His hair was in knots and matted with blood, his clothes torn and muddied, his face tired and angry – it was the way she knew him best.

026. Dream

After a morning of training, an afternoon of missions, and an evening of idle comfortable silence and unspoken understandings, Neji would return to his bird cage and idly wonder if his day had been another dream.

027. Master

When the pink-haired kunoichi looked up at her long-time idol and called her 'Master Tsunade', Tenten couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy – until she looked across the clearing and made eye contact with her permanent sparring partner, that is. 

028. Streaming

With his shining eyes, graceful steps, bursts of bright chakra, and silky hair streaming out behind him as he went through his gentle fist positions, Tenten couldn't find him manlier or more compelling.

029. Who Matters?

With two loyal, caring, strong, and dependable companions and a—although sometimes slightly eccentric—jounin sensei, who else really matters?

030. Woods

The woods was where they first met as a team, where they first trained as a team, where they first met as partners, and where they first trained as partners, and as he gazed at her he silently wondered if it was where they'd first meet as lovers, or as enemies, or even as forgotten friends some time down the long dusty road of life.

031. Tread

She realized she was treading on thin ice when she offered to help him train for the chuunin exams – he realized he wouldn't train with anyone else for a long time.

032. Gradients

The frequent changes and blurred gradients between the highs and lows of energy and excitement of the two green-clad men never failed to amaze the two slightly more rational teammates.

033. Darkest

Her eyes were always their darkest early in the morning – on the way to the forest – and their brightest when she left the forest – her muscles aching and a few new bruises to show his improvement for the day.

034. Target

She never missed her target, so it never surprised anyone when the news of her marriage and pregnancy reached the Leaf village.

035. Great

Tenten had met many great people throughout the course of her life, but she would always think of him as the greatest.

036. Want

Neji never wanted to be Hinata's 'servant', he never wanted to be in Team Gai, he never wanted to be so greatly annoyed with his teammates that he preferred to train alone, he never wanted to have that solitude disturbed, he never wanted to talk about his past and his father, he never wanted to be accepted by Hiashi, he never wanted to have to rely on his teammates, he never wanted to have them rely on him, he never wanted to become emotional, he never wanted to get married and become attached to a spouse, he never wanted to be even further attached to his children, and he never wanted to have that all taken away. But then again, Neji had always wanted to be a shinobi.

037. Short

A shinobi must learn to never miss a moment of their life, because however long it may seem to be, it could quite easily be cut short.

038. Skater

When Neji fought, he was like a skater gliding across the ice. When Tenten fought, she was like an acrobat swerving and looping in the air.

039. Water

Tenten had a bittersweet memory of water giving her two firsts; the first one being a near-death experience, and the other being true comfort.

040. Treat

Tenten remembered going to Ichiraku Ramen with Neji the night prior to her recent hospitalization. She also remembered his last words being, "Don't worry; it's my treat," before blacking out in shock.

41. Owned!

Neji didn't know what the term "owned" meant in reference to fighting, but the day he was defeated by Lee and the bob-haired boy screeched it into his ears for an hour—straight—was the day Neji decided he hated it.

42. Warmth

Lee marveled at the foggy look in the eyes of the Hyuuga as cold white met warm brown in a clashing look of hazy warmth.

43. Kindest

The kindest thing he ever did for her was hold her up after she nearly drowned, and even though most girls would find that rather pathetic, Tenten thought it was the sweetest thing in the world.

44. Modest

Neji had never known Tenten to be modest about her skills or appearance as a ninja, so he had been greatly surprised when she turned a bright pink and denied his comment on her casual wear. "I just said you look nice in a Chinese dress." He didn't bother to continue as her face began to blend into the deep red of the silk.

45. Twosome

Teams were always originally dispatched in a three man team with a teacher; they trained as a foursome or as individuals and were later on placed in an official four or five man team. Neji had always privately considered his team to be made up of a pair of twosomes, but he didn't mind.

046. Wrath

The day Sasuke was discovered missing, Team Gai solemnly confided in one another that they were glad that they had never suffered the wrath of a desire for power which could break bonds and sever ties within a team or family. As one team broke up, Team Gai found themselves a little closer.

047. Trash

Even though Lee had been told countless times that he was worth no more than trash as a shinobi, he had always trained hard and proved people wrong. Tenten admired him for his strength, and Neji admired her for never believing that their teammate was said trash.

048. Doting

When Tenten was given the option of growing up to be a doting wife or a deadly kunoichi, she chose the path she didn't immediately grimace at and never looked back on her decision.

**A/N:** That was a pain in the butt. Expect me to attempt to post more pains in the butt soon.


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